Laddu finally stopped brushing.
Foam gone.
Toothbrush lowered.
Only then did he notice them.
Three people.
Staring.
Like he had fallen from the sky.
He blinked once.
Then laughed.
Soft.
Awkward.
Unaware.
The kind of laugh a boy makes when he has no idea he just caused emotional damage.
"Oh," he said lightly.
He held up the tiny toothbrush.
Then spoke.
Calm.
Normal.
"Actually… I came here at nine."
Silence.
Maya froze.
Candy froze.
Mochi blinked through wet lashes.
Nine?
"I reached early," Laddu continued, nodding to himself.
"Because I didn't want to be late."
He tapped his stomach.
"But I ate something really tasty from a food shop nearby."
Proud.
Satisfied.
"Then my breath became very dangerous."
He waved a hand in front of his mouth.
"Very dangerous."
Candy covered her nose instantly.
Maya stared at him.
Unblinking.
"Like," Laddu added seriously,
"I could kill a dragon."
Candy nodded.
"That's bad."
Maya pinched the bridge of her nose.
Laddu lifted the toothbrush.
Small.
Colorful.
Child-sized.
"So I went to buy a toothbrush," he explained.
"But the shop only had kid ones."
He shrugged.
"What to do?"
He pointed at the bench.
"So I sat here."
Pause.
"And started cleaning."
He said it like this solved everything.
Mochi stared.
Mind empty.
He wasn't finished.
"And I saw you," Laddu said.
Her breath caught.
"The whole time."
Her fingers curled.
"You came and sat right here," he said, pointing.
Exact spot.
"The same bench."
Mochi's heart slammed.
"But you kept looking down," he continued, thoughtful.
"Didn't look at me even once."
He tilted his head.
Scratched his cheek.
Genuinely confused.
"So I thought…"
"Are you searching for something on the ground?"
Something broke.
Mochi's face turned red.
Not pink.
Red.
Her bunny gloves shook.
Her ears burned.
Candy slapped her forehead.
Hard.
Maya stared at the sky.
Praying.
For strength.
For patience.
For forgiveness.
Laddu noticed none of it.
He smiled.
Small.
Gentle.
"I was here," he said.
Simple.
"I didn't go anywhere."
No jokes.
No teasing.
Just truth.
Like leaving had never been an option.
Mochi's chest tightened.
Tears gathered again.
Different this time.
Not pain.
Relief.
And for the first time—
She looked up at him.
Really looked.
And Laddu was still there.